对铁路物流企业抑尘服务定价模式的思考

铁路是国民经济的大动脉,铁路运输是现代化运输业的主要运输方式之一,相比于其他运输方式具有连续性、运量大、成本低等特点。在铁路运输主营业务下,有一定数量的非运输经营企业依托于铁路线投资建设了许多货场,并在货场上开展物流延伸各项服务。合理确定收费价格是提高企业经营效益的关键,就某铁路物流企业煤炭抑尘服务如何定价展开讨论。     

我国铁路快捷货运产品设计及组织优化的探讨

快运产品设计是铁路快捷货运普遍关注的问题.针对铁路快捷货运产品现状和存在的问题,提出铁路快捷货运业务流程再造的目的、内容和机理.基于流程再造,对快捷货运产品进行完善设计,提出细分和强化既有快运产品,开发诸如多式联运、高速、客车化、运输组织创新的快运新产品.以特快、快速、普快三类快运产品划分为标准,设计运输组织优化步骤,实现以市场为导向的铁路快捷货运产品设计和组织.     

Benefits of in-vehicle consolidation in less than truckload freight transportation operations

Researchers and public agencies have proposed consolidation policies as an alternative to increase truck payload utilization and mitigate externalities produced by freight transportation. Understanding and enhancing the economic mechanisms that lead to freight consolidation can ease the implementation of these strategies, increase profits for shippers and carriers, and reduce freight-related negative externalities. An important mechanism that has recently been studied for cost reduction in the freight industry is combinatorial auctions. In these auctions, a shipper invites a set of carriers to submit bids for freight lane contracts. Carriers can bid for individual lanes or bundles of them according to their operational characteristics. These bids are constructed considering direct shipments (Truckload operations) and several biding advisory models have been proposed for this purpose. However, there are economies of scale that can be achieved if shipments are consolidated inside vehicles, which have not been explored in the construction of competitive bids. This paper investigates such benefits and provides insights on the competitiveness and challenges associated to the development of consolidated bids (suitable for Less-Than-Truckload operations). Consolidated bids are constructed using a multi-commodity one-to-one pickup-and-delivery vehicle routing problem that is solved using a branch-and-price algorithm. The numerical experiment shows that non-consolidated bids are dominated by consolidated bids, which implies that this type of operation can increase the likelihood of a carrier to win auctioned lanes, while increasing its profits margins over truckload companies (non-consolidated bids), and keeping the reported benefits that combinatorial auctions represent for shippers.     

Liquidity risk premium and asset pricing in US water transportation

The water transportation of freight has been one of the most important sectors in facilitating international trade and contributing to the growth of the world economy. Bearing in mind the importance of the relation between asset returns and liquidity in water transportation, this paper examines this relation within the context of US traded international water freight transportation firms. Using a Fama–MacBeth analysis, it is shown that the illiquidity risk premium is priced in the water transportation sector beyond the Fama and French and market-wide illiquidity risk factors, indicating higher average returns for stocks with greater illiquidity measures. It is also shown that the market-wide illiquidity factor and the Fama–French SMB and HML risk factors are significant in explaining stock returns. In contrast, market risk is found not to be priced in the water transportation sector. The results are also robust to asset pricing tests over two alternative sub-periods.     

Basic economic principles of road pricing: From theory to applications

This paper presents, a non-technical introduction to the economic principles relevant for transport pricing design and analysis. We provide the basic rationale behind pricing of externalities, discuss why simple Pigouvian tax rules that equate charges to marginal external costs are not optimal in ‘second-best’ settings, and discuss the conceptual link between congestion pricing and road capacity. The final part of the paper is devoted to implementation paths for transport pricing policies. A simple numerical model demonstrates how different time patterns of constraints on pricing and capacity policy instruments may lead to different time patterns of efficiency along those implementation paths.     

How large is the gap between present and efficient transport prices in Europe?

In this paper, we analyse the gap between present transport prices and efficient transport prices. Efficient transport prices are those prices that maximise economic welfare, including external costs (congestion, air pollution, accidents). The methodology is applied to six urban and interregional case studies using one common optimal pricing model. The case studies cover passenger as well as freight transport and cover all modes. We find that prices need to be raised most for peak urban passenger car transport and to a lesser extent for interregional road transport. Optimal pricing results for public transport are more mixed. We show that current external costs on congested roads are a bad guide for optimal taxes and tolls: the optimal toll that takes into account the reaction of demand is often less than one third of the present marginal external cost.     

The transport geography of logistics and freight distribution

Goods movement and freight distribution are widely underrepresented in regional science and geographical research. This is surprising since a large body of traditional spatial theory has been developed with respect to transportation costs or to trade areas: those aspects that were originally closely connected with the exchange of goods. Growing attention is being paid in geography to related subjects, such as the emergence of global production networks, to structural changes in retail or to the commodification of modern consumption. To a certain extent, these processes depend upon the efficient transfer of information, finance and physical goods. Yet, with a few exceptions, the freight sector appears to be neglected in contemporary research. This paper provides an overview of the emerging transport geography of logistics and freight distribution. It challenges the traditional perspective where transportation is considered as a derived demand with the idea that logistical requirements underline transportation as a component of an integrated demand. The paper provides an analysis of the evolution of logistics as it pertains to the core dimensions of transport geography (flows, nodes/locations and networks). The concept of logistical friction is also introduced to illustrate the inclusion of the multidimensional notion of impedance in integrated freight transport demand.     

Freight transportation demand elasticities: a geographic multimodal transportation network analysis

This paper presents direct and cross-elasticity estimates of the demands for three freight transportation modes: rail, road and inland waterways. They are computed for 10 different categories of goods with a detailed multimodal network model of Belgian freight transports. The model, which minimises the generalised cost of transportation tasks defined by O-D matrices, assigns traffic flows to the different modes, transport means and routes. Successive simulations with different relative costs permit the computation of specific arc-elasticities. In contrast with the usual methodologies, the present methodology is not based on a statistical analysis of disaggregate data on actual modal choices and transport tariffs. This is a particularly useful feature since such data are mostly not available for freight transports in Europe. Furthermore, it fully takes into account the detailed characteristics of the network, all available routes and combinations of modes, as well as the specific localisation of activities within the network. Its estimates are compared with previously published estimates, and, in particular, with Abdelwahab's results published (1998) in this journal.     

Transport metabolism, social diversity and equity: The case of São Paulo, Brazil

The movement of people in space implies the consumption of resources such as time, space, money and energy, as well as the production of negative externalities such as accidents, pollution and congestion. Some of these effects have been analyzed on an aggregate level by comparing regions in the world, a set of selected cities and different geographical areas in a particular city. The analysis of data on a more disaggregate level that considers the differences in the cause and continuance of negative transport externalities among social classes and groups living in a particular city in the developing world is rare.This paper uses the São Paulo Metropolitan Region (SPMR) 1997 origin–destination (OD) survey to investigate such phenomenon by taking advantage of the fact that data are divided according to six levels of household income. Results refer to mobility patterns in workable days.The main conclusions are that although people at the lowest income level spend a high share of their income on transport, they have a very low overall mobility and contribute almost nothing to transport externalities. At the other extreme, the two highest income groups that use cars intensively invest much more time, space and money to travel around and so contribute to transport externalities 8.4–15.2 times more than the lowest income group. Such large differences challenge current transport policies in developing countries and call both for a reassessment of assumptions and principles as well as for opposition to the propagation of myths that have sustained such inequitable policies.     

Intermodal containerized shipping in foreign trade and regional accessibility advantages

Intermodalism has become one of the most significant transformations of freight transportation in the United States over the past two decades. The coupling of shipping modes has enabled shippers to more fully realize the respective time and costs advantages of respective modes. The opportunity to take advantage of intermodalism when shipping manufactured goods overseas may provide an essential competitive edge to a company or to an entire region engaged in world commerce. The change in the freight accessibility map of the United States to foreign markets that can be ascribed to intermodal infrastructures and operations has so far not been studied. With the help of a geographic information system, this paper analyzes this transformation in the United States by mapping integral place accessibility measures of five-digit zip code areas with respect to gateways for export of manufactured goods, especially containerized freight. The performance of the intermodal freight network is evaluated by comparing accessibility measures based on the highway network and on the intermodal network, respectively, for all North American container ports, as well as for subgroups of container ports on the Eastern Seaboard, the Western Seaboard, and the Gulf Coast of North America. The paper discusses regional winners and losers in the new national freight transportation system.     

铁路货运高质量发展策略研究

2021年,全路货运系统深入推进运输结构调整,大力实施以货补客,深化货运组织改革,高站位完成重点物资保供任务,高质量完成多式联运发展目标,货运服务质量和信息化水平进一步提升,货运安全管理进一步强化,货运安全局面持续稳定。2022年,全路货运系统要抢抓机遇、担当作为,深入开展货运安全专项整治、强化货运专业管理基础、扩大“公转铁”工作成效、加快集装箱多式联运发展、促进专业物流稳步增量、服务“一带一路”建设,在全面深化基础管理、持续推进运输结构调整、优化“一带一路”铁路运输组织、持续深化货运组织改革、强化队伍建设和监督检查上取得新成效,奋力推动铁路货运高质量发展。     

Vessel and voyage determinants of tanker freight rates and contract times

The behavior of shipping freight (charter) rates and the timing of shipping contracts affect the transportation costs of charterers and the operating cash flows of shipowners. Although the literature has established macroeconomic determinants of shipping freight rates, there has been no systematic investigation of microeconomic determinants of freight rates and the delivery time of chartered ships (the laycan period) in the tanker market. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the importance of vessel and contract specific factors in the determination of tanker freight rates and laycan periods in shipping contracts. Individual tanker shipping contracts from January 2006 to March 2009 are used to estimate freight rates and laycan periods using a system of simultaneous equations. The estimation results suggest that the duration of the laycan period is an important determinant of the shipping freight rate and vice versa. Other determinants of freight rates include the vessel's hull type, fixture deadweight utilization ratio, vessel age, and voyage routes. Determinants of the laycan period include the former determinants as well as the Baltic Dirty Tanker Index and its volatility.     

Multi-criteria decision-making for complex bundling configurations in surface transportation of air freight

Airlines typically carry out freight transportation in a hub and spoke structure, where the movements between the outstations and the hub are served by trucks. To transport freight efficiently, air carriers must consider bundling options for shipments that are delivered at outstations and have to be moved to the hub. There are three options when it comes to bundling freight: on ‘through unit load devices’ (T-ULD) (all freight for the same flight at the hub), on ‘mixed unit load devices’ (M-ULD) (freight for different flights at the hub) and loose freight in trucks. The optimal freight bundling configuration for carriers, taking into account their main KPIs (key performance indicators), is unknown. This research formulates the problem as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem, allowing carriers to decide which configuration is optimal for a given outstation. The selected KPIs (cost, (un)loading time, and quality) are formulated as mathematical functions. A new MCDM, called best worst method (BWM), is then used to identify the best configuration with respect to the three KPIs. The proposed methodology is applied to KLM Cargo to identify the best configuration for the selected outstations that supply freight to the KLM hub at Schiphol Airport. This case study shows that there are different optimal freight bundling configurations for different outstations and that trucking costs and freight handling tariffs are among the key factors in deciding which configuration is optimal.     

Differential pricing strategies of air freight transport carriers in the spot market

The single pricing approach fails to reflect different demand changes in response to its cargo space prices at different sales periods. This might be an obstacle to maximize the cargo space revenue of air freight carriers. This paper conducts the empirical analysis on pricing strategies in the spot market for two competitive air freight transport carriers operating on the same segment. It concludes that two carriers gain more revenues with the optimized differential pricing approach than with the single pricing approach. In theory, the research enriches the current literature in terms of pricing strategy optimization under the competition of two parties. In practice, it provides references for air freight transport carriers in their decision-making of applying the differential pricing strategy.     

Optimisation of the exploitation period of individual vehicles in freight transportation companies

The individual vehicle replacement problem typical for freight transportation companies is discussed in the paper. Two characteristic features of such problem are that transportation companies utilise vehicles with intensity decreasing with an age of vehicles and that managers of such companies first of all take into account economical criteria when planning vehicle replacements. The paper presents a single criterion, nonlinear, deterministic and discrete mathematical model of such a problem that minimises a total exploitation and ownership costs calculated per kilometre. The exact solution procedure is proposed here. The problem is solved as a real life case study. As a result, an average, economically optimal 5-year exploitation period of vehicles has been determined.     

竞争性综合运输中公路货运定价的研究

利用双层优化方法,将公路货运企业的经营目标函数和客户的选择函数统一考虑,分析了在客户选择最优基础上的公路货运定价问题,通过构建模型,求解得到货运价格。该价格是满足消费者福利剩余最大化的价格,有利于社会资源的优化配置和公路货运企业、综合运输市场的发展。     

长沙铁路枢纽货运集中化发展建议

在分析长沙铁路枢纽现状及存在问题的基础上,对长沙铁路枢纽货运集中化发展的可行性,及其货运集中化的发展对策进行了探讨。认为长沙铁路枢纽的货运集中化应将枢纽内货运站统一管理,确立中心货运站位置,优化站点配置;构建网上受理中心,集中受理、优化装车;建立仓储或配送中心,使仓储、配送、运输有专门部门负责,降低费用,提高服务质量。     

On structural inelasticity of modal substitution in freight transport

At the European level there is an increasing focus on how freight transport can be moved from trucks on roads to more environmentally friendly modes such as rail and ship. A large proportion of the transport services between OD pairs, however, cannot be substituted since there is only one alternative available. The paper investigates the magnitude of this “structural inelasticity” of modal substitution in freight transport due to a sparser layout of rail and ship-based freight networks compared to road. In the analysis we use a recent Scandinavian freight demand model covering more than 800 zones. We find that the structural inelasticity is very significant - in particular for transportation over less than 500 km. Moreover, the inelasticity varies greatly with commodity groups and between OD pairs, and it depends strongly on the port and rail infrastructure. The results suggest that pure charging instruments (road pricing for trucks) in many regions will have limited mode substitution impacts. However, if combined with structural changes in terms of improved infrastructure for rail and ship, impacts may be greater.     

A multi-level spatial-temporal model for freight movement: The case of manufactured goods flows on the U.S. highway networks

The spatial production, attraction, and movement of manufactured goods are vital to the economy of a region and country. The U.S. department of transportation also mandates to incorporate continuing and efficient freight movement and infrastructure into statewide and local long range planning. Studies on supply, demand, and transport of manufactured goods by firm, industry, mode, or commodity are vast in the logistics and supply chain literature. However, relatively sparse research is available on aggregated movement or freight on national, state, or local transportation networks. Better understanding and modeling freight movement on highway networks to facilitate local transportation, land use, economic development, and comprehensive planning is at the heart of freight research. Therefore, the major endeavors and novel contributions of this research include a conceptual framework proposed for freight movement research, a multi-level spatial-temporal freight model based upon the social optimum assignment for optimal “from”, “to”, “within”, and “through” freight flows of manufactured goods on the U.S. highway networks, and a set of performance measures designed to reveal states in terms of their competitive advantages in production, attraction, self-sufficiency, or cross-road. The freight flows were first visualized and highlighted by state at the U.S. level, then by county at the state level for Oklahoma, and finally by traffic analysis zone for the Tulsa metropolitan area. The spatial split of freight flows was accomplished through using freight, network, and demographic-economic databases at state, county, and zone scales.     

铁路货运价格策略研究

运价是客户选择运输方式的重要因素。铁路货物运价存在着运价政策、运价管理机制与市场脱节等问题。应用铁路货运价格理论,借鉴美国铁路运价策略,提出我国铁路货运价格应实施以国家统一运价为基础,运输企业根据市场供求关系,掌握一定的运价浮动权,并实行多种形式的运输价格等策略。